How the Browns Signing of Joe Flacco Impacts Another Heavily Rumored Move

The Browns would have also needed the Falcons to eat a large portion of Cousins deal as well, which is something Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer revealed on Monday, wasn't going to happen.

"You’d think the Browns would rather have Cousins than Flacco, but my sense is the team views the two similarly," Breer wrote. "So the number they maxed Flacco out at tells me that the Falcons weren’t going pick up even half of Cousins’s money for 2025 to push a deal through."

That likely explains why the two sides weren't able to consummate a deal despite the fact, as Breer noted, the two franchises kept in touch throughout the offseason.

Another thing that complicated a potential Cousins pursuit was the fact that the 36-year-old has a no-trade clause in his contract, and reportedly wasn't planning on waiving it until after next week's NFL Draft.

For Cousins, that was a power play to be able to control where he goes in hopes of landing a starting job somewhere. For the Browns, it meant potentially altering your draft plans to cater to an aging veteran QB.

For what it's worth, Breer didn't completely close the door on Cleveland as the eventual landing spot for Cousins, but noted it's unlikely. If so, where else could he potentially end up? Breer had an interesting thought on that, too.

"I think Cleveland is a lot less likely now, but not completely impossible," added Breer. "The other team I’d pay attention to is the Pittsburgh Steelers, if Aaron Rodgers decides not to go there. How he fits there, with the strong personalities in that locker room, and on offense in particular, is a fair question. But you don’t have to squint too hard to envision a marriage of convenience between two sides who, once the dust settles on Rodgers, may need each other."

For Cousins to go from being a hotly rumored Browns QB option to playing for their biggest rival would be quite the turn of events. It all could come down to what Rodgers decides in the coming weeks.